320 DAVENPORT ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



be found in Iowa. Robert Ridgway identified several specimens 

 taken at Sioux City in June as typical granimacus. 



Genus Zonotrichia Swainson. 

 248. (553). Zonotrichia querula (Nutt.). Harris Sparrow. 



The Harris Sparrow or Black-hooded Sparrow is a regular and 

 common migrant, both spring and fall, in the western and middle 

 portions of the state, but is rare and irregular in the eastern third 

 of the state, although it has been taken in nearly every countj^ 

 and occasionally straggles to Wisconsin and Illinois. The species 

 was formerly accounted rare. Baird, Brewer, and Ridgway (N. A. 

 Birds, Land Birds, i, 1875, p. 578) state that "since 1840 but little 

 information has been obtained in regard to their general habits, 

 their geographical distribution, or their mode of breeding, single' 

 specimens only having been taken at considerable intervals in the 

 valley of the Missouri and elsewhere until 1872 . . . . More re- 

 cently this bird was taken twice by Mr. H. W. Parker in Jasper 

 county, Iowa. The latest of these was secured May 19." 



On May 13, 1834, Prince Maximilian observed the Harris Spar- 

 row between the mouth of Boyer's Creek and the Platte River 

 (Reise, ii, 344); he considered the species as new and described a 

 specimen as Fringille coviata {Ibid., p. 352). 



In Winnebago and Hancock counties I have found the species 

 to be a common migrant, often abundant in the fall, from Sep- 

 tember 26 to October 26 and from April 5 to May 12 (Davies' 

 Nests and Eggs of N. A. Birds, p. 377). In October I have heard 

 them utter a quite loud but rather pleasing song of a few notes, 

 repeated at short intervals. Spring and fall plumages differ con- 

 siderably, the black being much obscured, and the birds in gen- 

 eral being suffused with rich brown, in autumn. 



In eastern Iowa the species is rarely seen: Johnson — four taken 

 by Bartsch October 28, 1893; observed once in October, 1905, by 

 myself (Anderson). Lee — "rare" (Currier, Praeger). Scott — 

 "one shot April 16, one May 3, 1891 — only records " (Wilson). 

 Winneshiek — "three records — small flock May 14, 1895; two May 

 19, 1895; one Sept. 23, 1895" (Smith). Van Buren — "very rare" 

 (W. G. Savage). Records from central and western Iowa are very 

 abundant. 



The species possessed unusual interest for many years from the 



